JANUARY 28, 2013 — Tracy Murrell, a former chief safety officer for Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., who also holds a U.S. Coast Guard master's license, is the new director of the National Transportation Safety Board's Office of Marine Safety.

"Captain Murrell is an accomplished leader with more than 20 years of experience in the maritime safety industry,'' said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "I am pleased to welcome such an outstanding mariner, with a proven track record of achieving safety results, to the NTSB team."

Prior to her selection, Captain Murrell served as associate vice president, marine operations, in the U.K. for Royal Caribbean. She managed a worldwide fleet of more than a dozen ships with a budget exceeding $53 million and a staff of more than 600.

Captain Murrell also served in a variety of other safety-related managerial positions for Royal Caribbean. In those roles, she was the company's expert in safety-related legal cases, led accident and near-miss investigations, wrote reports detailing root-cause analyses and corrective actions and also developed and implemented policies and procedures to enhance safety.

She has also worked for several other shipping companies, including Arco Marine, Maersk Line, Ltd., and SeaRiver Maritime.

The NTSB Office of Marine Safety investigates major marine accidents on or under the navigable waters, internal waters, or the territorial sea of the United States as well as accidents involving U.S.-flagged vessels worldwide.

Captain Murrell received her bachelor of science degree in marine transportation from Texas A&M University and earned a master's in in business administration from Nova Southeastern University.

She began her job at the NTSB on January. 22.